New York Knicks Get Revenge, Playoff Real Estate in Win Over Chicago Bulls

A brilliant shooting night from Jalen Brunson allowed the New York Knicks to take revenge against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.

Apr 9, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) defends Chicago Bulls / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Revenge is a dish best served cold, but Jalen Brunson was red hot on Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls.

The New York Knicks point guard put forth yet another dominant box score en route to a 128-117 victory at United Center. Brunson earned his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points (his second such streak this season), putting up 45 tallies on 13-of-24 shooting, including 7-of-12 from three-point range. He also hit each of his dozen attempts at the free throw line while dishing out eight assists.

New York's de facto big three showed up in style to exact revenge for Friday's defeat in the Windy City: OG Anunoby put forth one of his best offensive efforts as a Knick, scoring 24 points on 10-of-18 from the field. Donte DiVincenzo had 21, three coming on a deep one just before the halftime buzzer while Josh Hart rounded out the efforts from the Villanova triumvirate by falling three assists short of another triple-double, pairing his seven helpers with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Apr 9, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) defends New York Knicks / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

With the win, the Knicks (47-32) officially matched last season's win total. While Miami's double overtime win in Atlanta prevented it from clinching a playoff spot, New York took over sole possession of third place on the Eastern Conference leaderboard thanks to Orlando's loss in Houston.

The Knicks seemed ready to handle business early on, going up by as much as 14 in the first half. Chicago had cut the lead down to three by the penultimate second but DiVincenzo's shot from beyond halfcourt re-established a somewhat-healthy advantage. DiVincenzo's deep ball kickstarted a 16-2 run that extended into the third quarter, one capped off by a Brunson and-one just before three minutes went by. Scoring antics from DeMar DeRozan allowed the Bulls to eat away at the lead, but the Knicks held a consistent lead throughout the final period, sealing the deal with an Anunoby dunk and a Brunson tripe.

Dealing with rumors about head coach Billy Donovan's potential departure to the University of Kentucky and Ayo Dosunmu's injury, the Bulls (37-42) have lost four of six and seven of their last 10. DeRozan scored 34 in defeat, one that didn't cost the Bulls much: Chicago is locked into the more desperate portion of the Play-In Tournament, as they'll face Atlanta in Nos. 9 vs. 10 matchup. Nikola Vucevic added 26 for Chicago on 12-of-16 shooting while Coby White's triple just before the half allowed him to set the franchise single-season record with 205, passing the mark that Zach LaVine had for less than a year.

New York and Chicago wrap their respective seasons against each other on Sunday afternoon. In the meantime, the Knicks wrap up this late road trip on Thursday when they face the NBA-leading Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).